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The Ethics Of Spinoza: The Road to Inner Freedom

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As the coordinator of the Washington, D.C. Spinoza Society, I'm often asked what book the Spinoza-novice should read first in order to gain an introduction to his writings. My answer is to begin with Runes's wonderful abridged version of the Ethics. Runes distills Spinoza's various propositions, axioms, scholia and corollaries into a small book of extremely readable prose. The reader is left to marvel at the combination of Spinoza's profound insights, incredible courage and common sense wisdom.

There is plenty of time in life for the Spinoza lover to read the unabridged Ethics and delve into his other masterpieces, such as the Theological-Political Treatise. But how does one get hooked on Spinoza in the first place? That's where Runes comes into the picture. In crafting a book with such simplicity and beauty, Runes beckons his readers to fall in love with Spinoza as perhaps the quintessential sage. Then, once the heart is engaged, the reader can spend many an evening reading the scholia and corollaries to engage the mind.

Look in any history of philosophy and Spinoza's Ethics will be described as "one of the most difficult" works in philosophy.

About two years ago I set my self the task of working through Spinoza's geometrical system of God, Mind, Emotions, The Strength of the Emotions, And The Intellect. I tackled it 5 propositions at a time. It was like reading a lease. Very dry, but very important. In short, I loved it, and really not that difficult. (I don't read leases in my spare time).

What I most enjoyed was Spinoza's grappling with the emotions and his focus on intelligent introspection. The end result of this for Spinoza was the happy discovery, arrived at by geometrical proof, that deep down we are good, indeed blessed. This is not wishful thinking, but a meticulous application of logic and the facts. How he does it is amazing, and worth reading

Spinoza's conclusions point the way to a happy life of self-discovery. His broader picture of God lies waiting for others, especially theoretical physicists, to pick up the trail where he left it.

The Ethics of Spinoza is one of the hundred or so most brilliant books ever written. It is also one of the most amazing accomplishments Man has produced. Not easy reading, it is worth working through. By logical argument piled on top of each preceding argument, Spinoza states that "God" is co-equal with the universe (he was a pantheist) and details a remarkable analysis of the emotions and how we can best direct them so as to reach tranquility of mind. He does this all with what must have been an astonishingly powerful mind with rare skills of analysis. The odd structure he chose may not have been the best vehicle for his philosophy but it was based on the then popular Cartesian method. A truly magnificent view of religion, life and the universe. While there have never been many followers of Spinoza's system, its influence has been felt throughout philsophy. This book is a monument to what the human mind is capable of. A landmark in Western civilization.